ALLURING ALYSSUM

Could the meaning of a name, in the language of flowers, be any more incredible than that of sweet alyssum, meaning “worth beyond beauty” or “sweetness of soul”? One would be hard pressed to match a description so daintily apt.

It’s quite a contrast then, to know that the name alyssum actually comes from the Greek word “lyssa” meaning “rage” or “madness” and the “a” meaning “against” giving it its meaning today, “without madness”. History tells us that it was used to treat rabid animal bites which makes sense of its more common name, healbite. In modern day it is obviously no longer thought to help calm angry souls or be effective in treating rabies so is not readily used in any medicinal capacity.

AMA-ZING ALYSSUM

Alyssum has recently been reclassified as Lobularia maritima. Lobularia is derived from the Latin word lobulus meaning ‘small pod’, referring to the fruit, and maritima meaning ‘of the seashore’. Since Alyssum is native to southern European countries found along the Mediterranean, this makes perfect sense. In its native habitat, Alyssum occurs on sand dunes and in areas. It has now been naturalised, worldwide, and does equally well in our flowerbeds.

Alyssum is herbaceous, growing to a height of approximately 20cm. The horizontal spread is usually considerably wider than it is tall. The foliage consists of leaves that are linear and lance shaped. The colour varies from grey to green and the edges are smooth. The flowers form in dense clusters from the stem. They are about 5mm in diameter and comprise of four rounded petals – imagine the flowers you first drew as a child. Available colours include white, pink, purple, citrus, violet, lavender and deep rose.